Forgot your pajamas? After living together so long, Jiang Yu had never made such a careless mistake. But since he said so, Yu Shiqing didn’t ask further.
Hearing a notification on his phone, Yu continued replying to messages from Ren Bai. Jiang Yu stood at the foot of the bed, watching quietly. His jaw tensed for a moment before he turned and entered the bathroom to change into his robe. When he came back, Yu glanced at him briefly. The robe was open at the neck and messy very unlike Jiang’s usual neat style.
Yu put his phone down and asked, “Where are your pajamas?”
Jiang answered calmly, “I couldn’t find them.”
Yu thought about how much Jiang had drunk during dinner, yet he smelled no alcohol. Jiang asked quietly, “Do you mind?”
Yu smiled, “As long as you don’t mind, I’m okay.”
Normally, Jiang was strict about appearance, even at home. Today was different, he seemed to be avoiding caring about himself. Perhaps the online scandal earlier had affected him. Doomsday Rescue had been hit hard by trolls. If the backlash kept up, Jiang would lose money. The premiere had eased things a bit but didn’t settle everything.
Jiang sensed Yu’s gaze and straightened up, calmly asking, “Why are you staring?”
Yu changed the subject, “The premiere went well you can relax now.”
Jiang paused, then asked, “What do you mean?”
Yu said, “We got good reviews. Even if the release is smaller, the base box office will be fine.”
Jiang frowned, “I’m not worried about the box office.”
Yu replied with gentle warmth, “That’s good.”
But Jiang couldn’t smile. He saw Yu’s kind expression and felt only sinking gloom. His worries, his efforts, all felt pointless. Yu’s reassurance didn’t reach him.
Jiang’s voice was low and firm: “What’s ‘good’? Go to sleep!” He turned his back decisively.
Yu watched Jiang’s retreating figure, a slight, knowing smile forming. He lay down beside him without a word. Jiang’s worry wouldn’t last; tomorrow they would leave early for the next screening.
The next morning, both woke to their alarms. After washing, Yu saw Jiang looking moody and asked, “Didn’t sleep well?”
Jiang shook his head, “No.” In fact, he had slept soundly, no dreams, until morning. But by then the anger from yesterday had set in, leaving him unsettled.
Yu sensed alarm in Jiang’s eyes and decided not to provoke him. “Let’s go.”
They headed to the meeting room. Half the team was already there. Yu Rong was late, yawning. Yan Hongyun asked, “How many groups?”
“Two groups,” he answered. When asked who paired with whom, he said, “Jiang Yu goes with me. The rest go with Yu Shiqing and Yu Rong.”
That split felt awkward. Yu Rong brightened finally out of tension with both.
But Jiang Yu turned and pulled Yu Shiqing aside. Yu Rong paused, then realized the mood and fell silent.
Yu asked quietly, “What’s on your mind?”
Jiang hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing.”
Yu smiled, “No need to worry what others say. Didn’t you say that?”
Jiang looked at him. Yu continued, “The flip yesterday showed how much the audience likes us. Don’t worry, it’ll get better.”
Jiang stayed silent, then spoke: “I’m worried we won’t recoup.” He rubbed his fingertips, a sign of tension. He had done things he never did before in the last days.
Yu replied firmly: “Even so, you don’t need to worry.” Then he smiled and added softly, “Besides, I’m here.”
Jiang paused, touched. At that moment, Yan called them, time to go.
They joined the groups and parted at the cars.
Throughout the day, Yu Shiqing and Yu Rong worked through venues while Ren Bai monitored online. The smear trolls had quieted down. Their attacks focused only on old “bad film” labels, but positive reviews had grown with movie screenings. The audience began debating Yu’s acting. New Era even bought the trending #YuShiqingActingReaction# to push discussions toward Doomsday Rescue.
That evening’s screening ended, and enthusiasm was high. Fans began defending Yu’s acting online. Their passion caused a spike in box-office buzz.
Du Han received the news he slammed his phone on the wall. He couldn’t bear praise for Yu. His frustration boiled over as he watched posts celebrating Yu’s performance and success.
Back at HQ, Ren Bai quickly told Yu the smear campaign had died down. Upon hearing it, Jiang Yu showed no surprise.
At the next team meeting, Yan announced they would increase screenings after good response. Ticket sales had improved since the premiere, a clear win.
Yu simply watched Yu Shiqing’s bright face entering with Jiang and realized with relief how much better things were heading.
“Cooperation is going well,” Jiang said quietly as they walked in.
Yu replied with a smile; his earlier smile restored.
